Chapter 2: Two Worlds, One Very Sarcastic New Guy
The next evening, Adam found himself seated across from Emma Watson at a cozy, dimly lit Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village. The kind of place with red and white checkered tablecloths and a waiter who looked like he moonlighted as a tenor. He felt a comfortable hum from the System, a subtle reminder that the initial magic had done its job, and now it was up to him. "No pressure, Adam. Just charm one of the most intelligent, accomplished women on the planet using nothing but your wits and a profound knowledge of obscure pop culture references. Piece of cake."
Emma, dressed in a simple but elegant black dress, radiated an effortless grace. She was even more captivating in person, her eyes sharp and intelligent, missing nothing. "So, forensic insults," she began, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "I'm still waiting for the demonstration."
Adam leaned forward, a conspiratorial glint in his eye. "Ah, but a true forensic insult requires the perfect crime, or at least, a perfectly terrible espresso. Tonight, we're just building rapport. Besides, I'm trying to figure out if you're secretly a wizard. Because that stack of books yesterday looked suspiciously like a defense against the dark arts curriculum."
Emma laughed, a genuine, uninhibited sound. "Busted. Though I assure you, it was primarily for a research project. My magic is mostly confined to the screen."
"A shame," Adam quipped, taking a sip of his wine. "I had hoped for a personal lesson in transfiguration. I'd love to turn this napkin into a perfectly cooked steak. Or, failing that, into a more engaging conversation about structural engineering."
They talked for hours. Adam found himself effortlessly shifting between his two personas: the wry, insightful forensic consultant who could deduce a person's life story from their shoes, and the pop-culture-obsessed nerd who could quote entire monologues from The Flash. Emma, to his delight, was surprisingly knowledgeable about both. They debated the merits of various time-travel paradoxes, discussed the socio-political implications of superhero vigilantism, and shared surprisingly candid insights into the absurdities of their respective worlds – hers, the glare of celebrity; his, the newfound chaos of existing within a fictional narrative.
"She's genuinely incredible," Adam thought, feeling a warmth that had nothing to do with the wine. "The System got me the date, but this… this is real. This is good." He found himself relaxing into the conversation, forgetting, for a brief time, the absurdity of his transmigration.
The next morning, Adam was back at the 99th, the smell of lukewarm coffee and Jake Peralta's latest "pizza bagel" creation filling the air. He was assigned to a follow-up on a perplexing series of petty thefts targeting specific, seemingly random antique stores. There was no forced entry, no clear pattern, just small, valuable items vanishing without a trace.
Jake, fueled by his bagel-pizza, bounced up to Adam's desk. "Hey, forensic wizard! Got any magical insights into how a tiny antique thimble disappears from a locked display case? Because right now, my best theory is a very small, very fancy ghost."
Amy, ever the pragmatist, rolled her eyes. "It's not a ghost, Jake. It's a professional. But the lack of evidence is concerning."
Adam leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful frown on his face. "Petty thefts, no forced entry, specific items… This sounds familiar. Very, very familiar. Oh, right. The 'Invisible Burglar' case from Season 2, Episode 7. They eventually found the guy was using some crazy tech-jamming device. Or was it a tiny drone? Or was it… a cat? No, that was the one with the cat. Focus, Adam."
He remembered a detail: the specific antique thimble in the show had a unique, almost imperceptible magnetic property. A tiny detail that was easily overlooked.
"Okay, Jake, Amy," Adam said, "let's assume for a second it's not a ghost. Or Boyle's long-lost cat. What if it's not about how they got in, but what they were after? These items, are they all made of the same material? Or, more specifically, do they share a rare property?"
Amy pulled up the list of stolen items. "Mostly small, decorative silver pieces. A few bronzes. Nothing obviously unique other than their age."
"Silver can be tricky," Adam mused, his mind sifting through the canon data. "Does anyone have a magnet? A strong one?"
Jake produced a novelty fridge magnet of Captain Holt's face, glaring disapprovingly. "Will this do?"
Adam sighed. "It'll have to. Let's try it on one of the non-stolen silver thimbles from the same collection, if the store owner will allow it. Specifically, look for any unusual pull, however slight, that doesn't feel natural for silver."
They went to the antique store. Jake, wielding the Holt magnet like a dowsing rod, started waving it over a replica thimble. Nothing. Then, almost by accident, his hand grazed a small, ornate silver locket. The magnet gave a subtle, almost imperceptible tug.
"Whoa!" Jake exclaimed. "Did you feel that? It's like... Holt's face suddenly got hungry for silver!"
Amy snatched the locket. "That's… unusual. Silver isn't magnetic. Mr. Stiels, how did you know?"
"Knowledge & Insight Module, baby. But they don't need to know that." "Just a hunch," Adam said, shrugging nonchalantly. "Sometimes, with old artifacts, alloys can have trace elements, or even microscopic inclusions, that react unexpectedly to magnetic fields. It's rare, but it happens. My hypothesis: our thief isn't after the silver, but something inside or impregnated within these specific items. Something tiny, possibly something that would react to a specialized magnetic field to extract it."
The new lead blew the case wide open. Further investigation, using more sophisticated equipment, confirmed Adam's theory: the thief was using a highly specialized, localized magnetic field to extract tiny, rare earth minerals embedded within the antique items. It was an ingenious, almost undetectable method. The culprit was apprehended swiftly, thanks to Adam's "hunch."
Jake's POV: "This guy Stiels... he's like me, but with more big words and less emotional baggage. Is he a robot? Or just really, really good at faking it? Either way, he gets my obscure references. That's a win. And he solved a case I was calling the 'Ghost Thimble Debacle.' I think I'm in love. No, wait, that's Amy. Still, new bromance!"
Amy's POV: "His methods are unorthodox, bordering on chaos. He just... knows things. It's frustratingly effective. I need to observe him more closely. Maybe there's a flowchart for 'Dealing with Adam Stiels's Hunches'."
[System Status Log: Minor Case Solved - 'Invisible Burglar' Arc.]
That evening, Adam found himself at MacLaren's Pub with Marshall, Ted, and Barney. Barney, of course, was immediately trying to pry into Adam's dating life.
"So, Stiels," Barney declared, adjusting his tie with a flourish. "I hear you're... dating. And not just any date, but the Emma Watson. How did you do it? What Playbook move did you use? Was it 'The Lorenzo Von Matterhorn'? 'The Mrs. Stinsfire'? I demand answers! For science! For bro-science!"
Adam took a sip of his beer, his expression utterly deadpan. "Barney, the only playbook I use is called 'being a reasonably decent human being and asking someone out directly.' It's surprisingly effective. Revolutionary, even."
Barney scoffed. "Please. That's amateur hour. There has to be more. A subtle manipulation? A perfectly timed high-five? Did you... did you wear a cape?"
"No cape," Adam replied, stifling a smile. "Though I'm considering it for formal occasions. Look, Barney, sometimes, when you approach someone with genuine interest and not a meticulously crafted psychological profile, they actually say yes. It's a radical concept, I know."
Marshall chimed in, "Yeah, Barney, maybe Adam's just a natural charmer! Like me with Lily! She totally fell for my 'future judge' routine."
"And your passionate love for slankets," Lily's voice cut in as she joined them, sliding into the booth. She gave Adam a shrewd look. "So, the mysterious new neighbor. You're quiet. Too quiet. What's your deal, Adam?"
"My deal, Lily," Adam said, meeting her gaze evenly, "is that I enjoy observing the glorious chaos of life, occasionally offering sarcastic commentary, and ensuring my friends don't accidentally join a cult. Which, given some of Barney's theories, is a legitimate concern."
Lily smirked. "I like him. He sees the truth."
Ted, meanwhile, looked pensive. "So, you just... asked her out? No grand gestures? No elaborate plans involving a blue French horn?"
"Nope," Adam confirmed. "Just a question. Sometimes, Ted, the most legendary stories start with the simplest, most terrifying words: 'Would you like to get coffee?'"
"Oh, Ted," Adam thought, feeling a pang of genuine sympathy for the architect's convoluted romantic journey. "If only it were that simple for you. But hey, I'm here now. Maybe I can at least subtly nudge you away from some of the pain. Without, you know, ruining the entire show."
[Relationship Status: Dating Emma Watson. Duration: 5 days.][System Status: Relationship stable, Adam gaining trust and integrating into both worlds.]